Eatingand drinking at lorry crash scene

September 1980

There was both eating and drink at the scene of a crash between two lorries on the Newtown Road just outside of Wexford last weekend, as one of the vehicles involved was carrying a load of meat, and the other was transporting wine.

And for dessert, there was a large helping of traffic chaos, as the two large vehicles collided just out Bettyville Racecourse on Friday evening, causing significant delays in both directions.

The meat of this story – all 19 tons of it – was contained in a juggernaut, travelling from Nenagh in Co. Tipperary to the continental ferry at Rosslare Harbour.

And the drink – about 3,000 gallons of wine – was in a container on a lorry travelling the opposite direction, from Rosslare to Clonmel, where the wine was to be bottled.

The two vehicles developed a list and became entangled at the narrow stretch of roadway outside the racecourse.

Traffic had to be diverted on the main road from Rosslare and Wexford to Cork and the South of Ireland, and many British and Continental tourists were caught up in the confusion.

Congestion was later somewhat relieved by some of the traffic being diverted into the racecourse grounds through one gateway, and out again at another gateway at the other side of the blockage.

Much of the meat involved in the accident was scattered across the road, and a major clean-up operation had to take place. The remaining meat that had remained in the stricken lorry was transferred to another vehicle and refrigerated unit that was supplied by a local transport company, to ensure it would not spoil.

Wine lovers will be glad to hear however that not a single drop was spilled.